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The Dragons
The Dragons '''are one of the eight founding teams of the Midwest Combat Chess League, and actively competing. As a result of their win during the inaugural League Championship in 2007 vs. The Roses, '''a great deal of the sponsors interested in the league at its inception associated themselves with the champions. This sponsorship resulted in a significant budgetary advantage which persists to this day. History 2007 The Dragons had a very successful inaugural season in the MCCL. From the initial draft to the final game of the season, the Dragons epitomized the idea of what the League wanted to present with human combat chess. They finished the regular season in first place with a record of 6-1, with their only loss coming to the Valkyries in the 6th week. They faced The Legion in the semifinals, defeating them in a closely contested matchup. The championship match was against The Roses, who had placed 2nd in the league but had suffered their only regular season loss to the Dragons. Their victory in the championship propelled the Dragons as an organization to stardom in the sport. 2008 Bolstered by an increased revenue from a bevy of endorsement deals, the sophomore season for the Dragons featured more of what fans of the spot had come to expect: domination. The Dragons performed consistently, repeating their regular season record of 6-1, this year their only loss coming at the hands of the undefeated Culverins. After defeating the Valkyries in the semifinals, the Dragons seized the opportunity to spoil the Culverins' perfect season by defeating them in the final match of the season. 2009 The players' strike impacted the Dragons' players less than those of other teams. Reportedly, many Dragons players were content enough with their situation that they continued to practice in secret. They maintained a dominant streak during the abridged season, losing a single match to their original championship opponents: the Roses, and finished the season with a record of 3-1. In the postseason semifinals, they met the Legion, and had their hopes for a third consecutive title dashed by the eventual 2009 champions. 2010 The 2010 season started with a new king for the dragons, the previous king being fired after failing to win the championship. Matthew Haber took the team back to the top of the league once more, with the Dragons only loss coming at the hands of the Celts. After defeating the Culverins in the semifinals, they went on to the championship match against the only team to beat them in the regular season. In what has come to be known as the most disastrous final match in the history of the MCCL, the Dragons emerged triumphant over the Celts. 2011 Hoping to repeat the success of the back to back victories of the 2007 and 2008 seasons, the Dragons were once again faced with the obstacle of an undefeated team in their path. The Cavaliers were on their way to a perfect season when they faced the dragons in the 4th week of the season. This match became the Dragons' only regular season loss of 2011. Fans were prepared for a repeat of the 2008 season, when the Dragons got revenge in the championship against the undefeated culverins, but a surprisingly able performance from the rebounding Legion in the semifnals spoiled the Dragons' championship dreams for the second time. 2012 The Dragons seemed unstoppable until the 6th week of the season, losing to the returning champions, The Legion. After finishing the 2012 season with yet another 6-1 record, they faced The Legion for the second time in the semifinals. Confident they would not lose to the same team twice in the same season, they and their fans were disappointed as the perennial dragon-slayers spoiled the Dragon's championship hopes for the third time. 2013 Under the kingship of the newest member of the Sbriglio dynasty, and youngest king to ever compete, Daniel Sbriglio, the Dragons were a unstoppable force in 2013 and seemed poised to finish their first perfect season going into the final match of the regular season against the middling Cavaliers. However the Cavaliers managed a surprise win when many Dragons' fighters turned in lackluster performances during a game with no bearing on their postseason berth. True to form, the Dragons finished another season with a 6-1 record. During the semifinals they easily trounced the much weaker Roses, and made it to their fourth Championship match, this time against The Corsairs. An initially close match, the tide began to turn against the Dragons in the mid-game as they unexpectedly lost a number of key pieces, culminating in Sbriglio resigning the championship in an unprecedented and much maligned move. 2014 Despite his proven talent for chess strategy, Sbriglio's reputation was ruined by resigning the 2013 championship, and he was quickly replaced in the off-season by long-time vet and free agent David P. Schneider. Schneider's unusual willingness to take risks led to a relatively rocky regular season for the Dragons, ending 5-2 for the first time in their history. Despite some strong chess from The Roses in the semifinals, strong showings from a number of Dragon's fighters put them solidly in the finals. The Championship looked to be lost when Schneider found himself in checkmate, but he invoked a technically-valid-though-forgotten rule of King's Perogative, defeating Steffi O'Brien and David Elwyn simultaneously. The Dragons maintained this momentum swing to capture their fourth championship title. Notable Members The Dragons have hosted some of the highest-paid talent in the league. Noteworthy current or former players include: Garrett Vollmer Daniel Sbriglio Missy Iverson Noah Stein David P. Schneider Category:Teams